SYNOPSIS:
Today’s premiere New Adult authors combine their talents to tell four original stories from inside one house.
When four girls decide to live off campus together as juniors at a college in Michigan, they expect it to be their best year yet. Little do they know, it’s a year that will change the rest of their lives.
BEHIND HER EYES by A.L. Jackson
Unable to live down her ex-boyfriend’s deception, Misha is determined to avoid betrayal. When, the new guy next door, Darryn starts to get under her skin, her defenses start to crumble. But trusting Darryn seems impossible, especially if he’s not sure he can trust himself.
SAVING ME by Molly McAdams
On the outside, Indy is always ready for a party—but inside she’s breaking. Kier makes a weekly routine of saving the girl next door from herself on Saturday nights… but when will she be ready to remember him on Sunday morning?
FOULING OUT by Tiffany King
Working at a sports bar, Courtney has become a pro at sidestepping propositions from arrogant jocks—which makes her a more elusive catch for campus basketball star Dalton than he expected. But when he falls for the saucy waitress, Dalton will have to rethink his game plan to prove he’s not the jerk Courtney expects.
BENEATH YOUR LAYERS by Christina Lee
In order to ace her fashion internship, Chloe must team up with local college dropout and set builder, Blake—much to her chagrin. But after some "hands-on" experience, Chloe will have to ask herself if Blake factors into her carefully laid plans…
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EXCERPTS:
Behind Her Eyes by A.L. Jackson
Now I could feel him, his eyes all over me, caressing me slowly, up and down.
I let all my insecurities drift away as I swayed in time to the music, in sync with the throb of the
crowd and the intermittent lights that glowed against my lids. A charged moment passed, before strong hands found my hips and gripped them from behind. For a beat, I stiffened, before I again gave in to this sublime release. And again, he felt good. Right. All this intense energy that ricocheted between us wrapped me up in a frenzy of nerves, alight and alive. The smell of him took me whole, all soap and man and sex.
Oh God.
My heart beat frantically, racing to keep up with my thoughts that were spiraling out of control.
A shimmer of fear slithered through me, before he pulled my back into the safety of his firm chest.And that was what I felt. Safe. With him, and I didn’t know why, and I was searching inside myself for resolve, for the commitment I’d made to never allow myself to be so easily played again.But it was just out of my reach.
Darryn held me close, our bodies moving in time, like we shared the same breath, the same space. I leaned back, my head on his shoulder as his face found the curve of my neck. Chills sped, spinning my body into a violent cataclysm of need. He let his hands roam, palms pressing hard as he ran them down the front of my legs, spanning them wide as he trailed them back up to my hips and over my stomach.
Fingertips dipped into my ribs as he slid them up the curve of my sides, and he lifted my arms as he went,
in the same fluid motion fastening my hands around the back of his neck. All those butterflies scattered, a clash of discordant wings that fluttered haphazardly through my insides, leaving my stomach in a coiled mess of confusion and need.
Why him? Why now?
Holding me close, he brushed his mouth over the shell of my ear, his whispered words injected directly to my manic heart. “Goddamn, Misha. What are you trying to do to me?” I suddenly found it impossible to breathe, because it was him who was slowly undoing all the fibers of reservation woven through my weakened spirit. “Can’t get you off my mind.” He leaned in closer, his hand sweeping up my stomach. Fingers brushed between my breasts, and I released a sharp gasp. “Been dying to touch you,” he murmured low.
SAVING ME – MOLLY McADAMS
“I’m about to embarrass the hell out of myself, but I don’t care anymore. I feel like when I’m near you, I’m safe, and it makes no sense to me. It is the weirdest feeling to have with someone I only know three things about.”
My eyebrows rose at that and I turned to fully face her. “Three?”
“Yes. Three things. Your name is Kier, you’re extremely quiet, and you are the biggest puzzle I’ve ever tried to figure out.”
“I’m the puzzle?”
“Yes!” she said in exasperation.
That had to have been the most backward statement I’d ever heard. “And why am I a puzzle?”
“Because of what I just told you. I don’t know you, you don’t even talk to anyone, and I feel safe when you’re near me! Why is that? I feel like I’m going crazy because all I’ve been able to think about for these past two weeks is you, and how every time you open your mouth it’s like déjà vu, and I just—I don’t know what’s happening.” Her green eyes were massive and she looked like she was on the edge of losing her shit.
I took a few steps toward her and lowered my voice. “Calm down, Indy. You’re fine.”
“I just don’t understand,” she said loudly, the pitch of her voice rising. “Do you believe in past lives?” she asked suddenly.
I paused, a laugh slipping past my lips. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Past lives? Like that whole stupid YOLO saying is really just bullshit, because we’re about to get another shot down the road?”
I tried to contain my smile, but she was really fucking adorable when she was like this. “What does that have to do with what you’re freaking out over?”
“In stories with soul mates they find each other no matter what in every life. And it’s like they have a weird connection they can’t explain.”
I closed the distance between us and dropped my head so I was looking directly into her eyes. “Are you saying we’re soul mates?”
“No!” she said, horror lacing her voice, her cheeks filling with heat.
“I think you were,” I teased.
“I wasn’t, I was just saying that in stories . . . I don’t know what I’m saying, okay? But I don’t get what’s going on with us!”
“So now there’s an us?”
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “I need to stop talking.”
I laughed and took a step back. “I’m teasing you, Indy. And no, I don’t believe in past lives. I think we have this one, and that’s it.”
She sighed, and her body visibly relaxed. When she spoke again, she sounded exhausted—and in a way, defeated. “I don’t, either, but I can’t figure out how to explain this feeling like I know you.”
I ground my jaw for a few seconds as her green eyes held mine. “Because maybe you do know me. You’re just not ready to remember why.”
Beneath Your Layers
Christina Lee/When We Met Anthology
I motioned for the bar. “Want me to get you a soda or a water?”
Chloe stared at me for another long moment before she said, “No, thanks.”
We listened to the next song quietly standing beside each other, lost in our own thoughts. Until she turned to me and said, “Truth or dare?”
“Dare,” I said, almost breathless. Given her mood, maybe she’d give me something good this time.
“Your turn, Blake,” she said. “Do something spontaneous.”
My fingers trembled from wanting to touch her so badly and all I could think about was doing just that.
“You sure that’s what you want?” I said, turning and backing her against the wall.
“Yes,” she breathed out.
“Something spontaneous or something I’ve been thinking about doing for days?” I said, my lips coming closer to hers. “Maybe weeks?”
Her breath caught. “It . . . it’s your call.”
My head swung forward, our foreheads practically touching. Fluttery breaths were escaping her lips. I place my arms on either side of her head and she bit down on her lip.
My heart thrashed in my chest and all I could think about was how desperate I was to kiss her, but how nervous I was to blow this opportunity.
So I attempted to read her signals and they were definitely mixed. Her eyes flitted between panic and lust.
When I pinned my hip against hers, I could’ve sworn I heard a low moan in the back of her throat.
“Please,” she rasped out. “Please . . . don’t . . . Blake.”
My stomach was in my throat. Fuck, either I’d scared her or I’d been reading her wrong.
I leaned back to give her space, but her fingers suddenly skimmed across my waist, clenching my shirt and drawing me nearer.
“Don’t what?” I asked in confusion. She was so fucking messing with my head.
“Don’t . . .” She was panting now. “Don’t stop.”
Fouling Out
By Tiffany King
From the upcoming New Adult anthology
The warmth inside the building was soothing after walking from the car outside. I felt mildly disappointed when Dalton dropped his arm from my shoulders, until he reached for my hand. As we strolled along, I became hyperaware of how something as innocent as handholding could become somewhat erotic while sipping wine together. Dalton slid his thumb across the top of my hand in slow methodical strokes before gently caressing my pulse point. The hairs on the back of my neck felt as if they were standing on end. Each sweep of his thumb was a sensual dance with my sensitive skin, making it tingle.
It was becoming apparent to me that it might have been a bad call on my part to skip lunch. Between the scent of Dalton’s cologne and the alcohol I was consuming, I was already feeling slightly intoxicated. I nibbled on a few cubes of cheese to attempt to alleviate the buzzing in my head. Dalton’s breath teased my neck, making me shiver in a good way. I should have put some distance between us so I could regain my bearings, but instead I snuggled closer to him, wishing we were somewhere else with a lot fewer people around.
All the air escaped my lungs as Dalton slowly captured a bead of wine from my bottom lip with his finger. I watched with bated breath as he moved the finger to his own mouth, sucking the drop of wine. It was all I could do not to moan as my insides turned to putty.
“You need to stop looking at me like that,” Dalton murmured in my ear.
“Like what?” I licked the rest of the wine off my lip with the tip of my tongue.
This time it was Dalton who groaned softly. Placing his hands on my hips, he slowly backed me into a dim corner, away from prying eyes. “Like you’re thinking how great it would feel if I hoisted you up on that wine barrel table over there with your legs wrapped around my waist.”
“Are you sure that’s not you thinking that?” My hips responded almost instinctively as he pulled me snugly against his body. I could feel him, rock hard, pressed to my stomach. The wanting desire I had been keeping at bay from the moment he showed up at my house looking practically delectable with low-riding jeans and a black V-neck sweater that accentuated his well-toned chest was threatening to explode.
REVIEW:
WOW!!
That's what come to mind when I finished this book. Unlike most anthologies, this is a story of 4 roommates who each have their own struggles and each character told by a different Author. And what an Author line~up it is. BEHIND HER EYES by A.L. Jackson, SAVING ME by Molly McAdams, FOULING OUT by Tiffany King and BENEATH YOUR LAYERS by Christina Lee. Each story is so magnificently woven into the next and I had no confusion going from one to the next, to the next, to the next! I definitely wouldn't call this an anthology, I would just call it A GRAND SLAM!!!
We start by meeting Misha in Behind Her Eyes by AL Jackson. She faced the ultimate betrayal and felt ruined inside and out. Let's just say that ex~boyfriend/ slime ball named Hunter did the unthinkable and left her wondering how she was ever going to piece herself and her life back together, After always seeing the best in people, she had lost all hope to ever find an honest man.
"No longer did I fully recognize myself. The endless smile wiped from my mouth and the naïve trust I'd held in this world disintegrated into nothing."~Misha
Insert sexy as sin next door neighbor Darryn, aka "Boy-Man-God" and things get interesting. He wants her just as bad as she secretively wants him. Its like he can read her mind, go into her deepest thoughts! Out of all the woman told in this book Misha (possibly because of Darryn) was my favorite.
BEHIND HER EYES was just fast paced enough that you didn't get bored but slow enough that you could grasp each detail.
Next, We move onto SAVING ME by Molly McAdams!
Indy, oh my heart hurt for Indy. Mostly because I could relate to burying your life in whatever bottle of booze you could find only to wake up to mornings you couldn't remember. Indy was crushed by her douchedick ex~boyfriend, Dean and a family who just could not let go of the past. Indy is the character my heart went out to the most. When you want a sad story to break you a little and put you back together, yep, go to Molly McAdams.
Imdy had her own ways of dealing with douchdick Dean, She drowned herself in as much alcohol as possible to make her forget exactly what it was she was about to do. Between the booze and the men, Indy was barely living. BUT, then there was Kier. He was her own personal guardian angel. He would cradle her in his arms, carry her home and tuck her into bed only to be forgotten on Sunday mornings. Waiting for Indy to realize Kier was the one taking care of her AND giving her a reason to care again was a pleasure to read!
"No matter what you think about yourself, I see differently. See, I don't talk to people unless I want to give them my time. But ISEE people, and I sure as hell see you. I may not know what's hurting you, I may not know why you're destroying yourself, but I still fucking see you. I see that you need someone to save you from yourself/"~Kier
FOULING OUT by Tiffany King is the 3rd installment about Misha and Indy's friend, Courtney. Courtney may work at a Sports Bar but she sure doesn't lay down at night with them like some kind of athlete groupie. She knew how to flirt and flash her gorgeous smile to get the tips she needed but that's as far as it went. That is...
Until her childhood BFF, Dalton, came into the bar and she remembered how bad he hurt her when he cut ties from her when they were younger. I would venture to say that Dalton is the reason she has a hatred towards athletes. He wasn't prepared for the cold shoulder her got when he walked into Gruby's and set out to work extra hard to show just how sorry he was.
"You need to stop looking at me like that." Dalton murmured in my ear. "Like what?" I licked the rest of the wine off my lip with the tip of my tongue.... "Like you're thinking how great it would feel if I hoisted you up on that wine barrel table over there with your legs wrapped round my waist."
Needless to say I think Dalton redeemed himself ;)
And last but not least we me Chloe in BENEATH YOUR LAYERS by Christina Lee. I have to admit this is the first time I have read anything by Christina Lee HOWEVER, it definitely won't be the last. She has made a new fan in me.
Chloe is definitely an organized planner. She has her goals mapped out and has not time for distractions. Chloe is studying towards her degree and working at a boutique at the same time. What she didn't expect is to paired up with college drop out Blake, who she is quick to make assumptions about. From the way he looks and his lack of education, Chloe is not impressed. In order to get this new boutique together she needs his carpenter skills. To say that she is judgmental and even a bit shallow is quite the understatement. Blake is even less impressed with Chloe but they both do what needs to be done to complete the assignment. While putting together this boutique they both realize that everything isn't what it seems on the outside. And maybe... Just maybe, opposites do attract.
"Close your eyes and stop thinking goddamn it." I said in a gruff voice. "Just FEEL, don't worry about later or tomorrow. This is me and you. Just here and now."
These four remarkable authors have come together to make compilation that has never ben done before. And may I just say, they perfected it!!
Reviewed for Stories and Swag
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AUTHOR BIOS:
A.L. Jackson:
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Come to Me Quietly, Come to Me Softly, Pulled, When We Collide, and If Forever Comes.
She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.
Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.
To stay up to date with important news on A.L. Jackson, including new releases, sales, and exclusive specials and excerpts, text “jackson” to 96000 to subscribe!
Instagram @aljacksonauthor
TIFFANY KING:
USA Today Bestselling author Tiffany King is a lifelong reading fanatic who is now living her dream as a writer, weaving Young Adult and New Adult romance tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iPhone and iPad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, zombies and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.
Where to connect with Author Tiffany
Email- authortiffany@yahoo.com
Molly McAdams:
Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband and furry four-legged daughters. When she's not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies and fried pickles, and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm ... or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren't really happening.
Come be my friend!
CHRISTINA LEE:
Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys.
She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.
Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.
Also Adult contemporary romance TWO OF HEARTS coming from Peguin/NAL on May 5th 2015.
